Dirty Restaurants: Consumer Retention Survey

11/24/2010 |

Managing a restaurant? A new Cintas Corporation survey conducted by Harris Interactive revealed dirty dishes, unpleasant odor, and dirty restrooms as the top three reasons that a consumer would not return.

Here’s the full list of offenders as reported by the survey:

Unclean Dishware - 86%

Unpleasant Odors - 85%

Dirty Restrooms - 75%

Unclean Tables - 74%

Poor Service - 74%

Dirty Floors - 68%

Poor Staff Appearance - 65%

Dirty Glass and Windows - 51%

“Consumers have many dining options and it’s critical for restaurant owners to provide a pleasant atmosphere to attract and retain patrons,” says Brian Garry, Senior Director, Cintas Foodservice. “This research confirms that maintaining a clean environment is mandatory to provide a satisfying dining experience.”

It’s not much of a surprise to learn that 86% of U.S. adults equate the cleanliness of a restaurant’s restroom with the cleanliness of the kitchen. It might be more surprising to realize that poor service - a much maligned aspect of the industry - ranks under dishes, odors, and restrooms.

“Regardless of the quality of food and customer service, a dirty restaurant turns patrons off from returning,” says Dave Mesko, Senior Director of Marketing, Cintas.